


Gwen's Garbage Fire Family

by goshdarndangit



Series: An Album of Gwen or Gwen-Related Jazz [2]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Past Child Abuse, david don't ask questions you don't want the answer to, seriously gwen's parents are straight up dicks in this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-12-18 13:46:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11875779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goshdarndangit/pseuds/goshdarndangit
Summary: Gwen knows why most of these kids are utterly miserable and trying to make their lives utterly miserable as well, and not just because she has a degree in psychology.





	Gwen's Garbage Fire Family

"Do you ever wonder if we're actually making a difference?" David sighed, resting his chin in his hand while the other put out a small fire in his hair. "These kids just seem so negative all the darn time, like they hate being here!"

"They do, David," Gwen replied, not looking up from her book.

"Gwyneth!"

"Don't you full name me David, if you'd literally open your eyes for two second you'd see these campers are just as miserable as I am."

"You're miserable?" The kicked puppy look was too much for Gwen to handle.

"I- ach- ugh. Okay," Gwen put her book down and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Parents don't send their kids to summer camp so they can have a wholesome fun time anymore, David, they send their kids to summer camp so that they can have an entire summer without a snot-nosed satan spawn bothering them or so they can work through whatever messy divorce they're going through while being as emotionally distant from their kids as possible. However, much to our luck, we got the kids that understand this concept and exploit it to the best of their ability all the while making our lives all the more miserable. They know that they're not getting sent home, no matter how poorly they behave. I mean, just look at the satan spawn trio."

"I really wish you wouldn't call them that Gwen, but I just don't understand why parents would do that. Why would they send their kid away if they don't want them to have a good time?" David asked, looking at Gwen with only the eyes someone with loving, emotionally connected parents could have.

"Because, David," she grated, "some parents couldn't give two shits about their kid and thought that they would just be a tool in order to save their marriage or maybe they thought it'd be fun to raise a kid or thought they could use a kid as a bargaining chip I don't fucking know, I don't fucking care. I know you want to see these kids have as much fun as possible but, David, these kids have garbage fire families and kids from garbage fire families enjoy making other people's lives a garbage fire. I majored in psychology."

They sat in silence for a little while after that, Gwen had gone back to her book grumbling about hot werewolf boys and how one should come to take her away and make her a woodland princess. David couldn't make out most of it, but the idea was present. "You never told me what your parents were like, Gwen," he finally mustered up the courage to say.

"What?"

"I said you never told me what your parents were like, Gwen. I told you all about my parents; about how my dad was a hoot on family game night or how my mother used to bake me cookies and pat my head whenever I was sad," it was said with fondness.

"I used to be fat," Gwen said, not looking up from her book.

"Oh, uh, what does that-"

"I used to be fat and that made me unlovable in my mothers eyes. She'd constantly send me to fat camps or put me on crazy diets. She'd always be going on and on and on about 'you'd be so much prettier if you were skinny.' One time I cut my hair and she didn't talk to me for a week, straight up gave the silent treatment. When the week ended, she just said, 'You look like a disgusting little fat boy, never do something like this to me again' and God I was so afraid of her, I never did."

"Well, uh, I-"

"My dad wanted a boy, cliche I know, but he wasn't about to come around and say a girl could do anything a boy could. He just wanted me to get married as soon as possible and give him a grandson. Didn't really care about college, refused to help me through it and asked why I wasn't just trying to find a nice guy to settle down with. He wasn't a fan of the weight either, but that didn't really matter, he even told me, 'A fat girl could still marry well if she wanted to.' Didn't really talk to me other than that."

"Gwen-"

"So I did what they said. I lost weight, I almost lost all my ambitions for going to college, I was cycling through boyfriends but my ideas of a marriage after graduation always scared them off. It wasn't enough. My mom kept at it, saying shit like, 'Well if you smiled a little more then you'd be able to hold a boyfriend' or 'If you tried a little harder on your looks then you'd be popular' or worse. Dad straight up stopped talking to me."

David was silent.

"So I realized I'd never make them happy, went to college which solidified their disappointment in me, and moved back in with two useless degrees. Whatever. Realized I'd spent so much time worrying over my weight, my looks, my eligibility for marriage that I was worrying about everything. It just didn't stop. So I got put on anxiety meds. You know what my mom told me? 'Boys won't marry crazy girls.' Dad doesn't talk to me anymore. I used to lash out a lot, figuring if someone else could feel a fraction of the pain I was going through then my pain would be eased. Never worked, but I sure kept at it. I became bitter and cynical. Tada, Gwen's full tragic backstory has been unlocked. Now can I go back to reading my book?"

Just as she said that, an explosion sounded from somewhere far off accompanied by the distant screams of Nerris. "I think they blew up Nerris' tower," Gwen commented, "you should probably check that out." David was hesitant to leave Gwen in such state, but when the screaming became closer he rushed out.

Gwen kept reading her book.

\--

Turns out Harrison accidentally blew up the base of Nerris' tower during their little feud, nothing to do with the main trio surprisingly. They were just chilling out by the lake and throwing candy at each other. They were pretty offended that David assumed they had something to do with it. "We may be main characters but we can just hang out and relax every now and then," Nikki told David. When he got back to the cabin, Gwen wasn't there and he was secretly glad for that since he was even more of a sooty mess. All the kids were bedded down, the only time the camp was quiet. He scribbled a note for Gwen to read when she got back and placed it on her bunk, immediately collapsing into his bunk and passing out.

Gwen had needed some fresh air and was walking around the camp, staring up at the flag flapping in the light breeze. "Gwen?" The counselor spun around, expecting to see an ambush but it was only Nikki in her PJs.

"What is it Nikki? Why are you still up?" Nikki yawned, maybe she'd just woken up?

"I heard something walking around and I thought it could be a bigfoot, so I got up and went to look 'cause I didn't want to miss seeing the squatchman himself. But it was just you," she explained and it was so purely Nikki, the little girl rubbed at her eyes and yawned again.

"Sorry for waking you up, let's get you back to your tent," Gwen apologized, holding onto Nikki's hand. It was so small in her own. The normally wild girl was too tired to protest and let Gwen lead her, she didn't even bite her this time. At the tent Gwen was careful, not wanting to wake the other two hellions. Max was cuddling a... sack full of rocks? Did it have a crudely face drawn on it? Neil was wrapped up on his cot as if he were in a cocoon, mumbling in his sleep.

Nikki let go of her hand, "Thanks for walking me back Gwen. Sucks that we didn't see a bigfoot or anything. Night night." She got on all fours and squeezed herself under Max's cot, David did say that she slept under the boys cots. The third cot remained empty and untouched. Gwen smiled.

"Goodnight Nikki," she returned and closed the tent flap, heading back to the counselor's cabin. David was already asleep, she'd have to apologize for unloading on him like that in the morning. Picking up the note, a couple tears slipping down her cheeks before she bit her lip, chuckled, and wiped them away. "Typical David." She tucked the note away in her drawer and fell unconscious onto her bed.

'you don't have to move back in with your parents because this camp will always be open to you!!!!! :) a Camp Campbell goodnight to you Gwen ~~~ David'

**Author's Note:**

> I'm thinking of making this in the same series as Camporee 2: Electric Boogaloo and just making a whole collection of Gwen or Gwen-related fics. It'll probably end up with Gwen adopting some of the campers.
> 
> This is probably the most angsty Camp Camp fic I'm gonna write, besides maybe some I'm gonna write about the kids home lives. I just want to keep the spirit of Camp Camp alive in my fics; dark humor and funny dysfunctional dynamics.


End file.
